Results 29,281-29,300 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: There are three State Boards for which the Minister for Social Protection has responsibility - the Citizens Information Board, Pensions Board and the Social Welfare Tribunal. In addition, while the Pensions Ombudsman comes within the remit of the Minister for Social Protection, this statutory body does not have a board. When filling vacancies to these State Boards every effort is made to...

Written Answers — Departmental Equipment: Departmental Equipment (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: For its IT operations, the Department utilises 344 servers with 774 processors and total memory of 4,271 Gigabytes. All storage is served from a Storage Area Network (SAN) and this has a total capacity of 600 Terabytes. The relevant information in relation to Agencies under the Department's aegis is not held in the Department. It is however, being compiled and will be furnished to the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 22 March 2011. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 08 June...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that the person concerned was refused rent supplement and that this decision was upheld by the HSE Appeals Office. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised that they have received an appeal from the person concerned and that no decision has yet been made on this appeal. The person concerned will be notified of the outcome of their appeal...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: An application for domiciliary care allowance was received on 14th January 2011. It was referred to one of the Department's Medical Assessors who found the child not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued to the person concerned on 14th February 2011 advising her of the decision. In the case of an application which is refused on medical grounds, the applicant may submit...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Payments: Social Welfare Payments (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: The position is as stated in my reply to the Deputy on the 5th July 2011. Neither I nor my Department have any function in relation to deciding an individual's entitlement. The Health Service Executive Appeals Office has advised that there is no record of an appeal from the person concerned.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: Three statutory agencies have been established by the Minister for Social Protection since 1997 – Comhairle (now known as the Citizens Information Board), the Family Support Agency and the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman. Comhairle, which was established on 12 June 2000 under the provisions of the Comhairle Act 2000, replaced the former National Social Services Board. Under the...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: Due to the nature of the information requested by the Deputy, it is not possible to provide a full reply in the time permitted. My Department has now engaged in compiling the information sought by the Deputy and will revert to him at the earliest possible opportunity.

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: From the references supplied it has not been possible to answer the Deputy's question. Information in relation to the request made by the Deputy will be forwarded when the details of the persons involved are supplied to the Department.

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: The Department of Social Protection does not fund trade unions per se. However, the Department facilitates the deduction and remission of union subscriptions by staff in respect of their union memberships to the following unions – - Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) - Association of Secretaries and Higher Grades - Public Service Executive Union (PSEU) - Civil...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: While the primary responsibility for job creation rests with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and agencies under its remit, the Department of Social Protection has a role in supporting people from welfare to work and operates a range of employment support measures designed to encourage and support social welfare recipients of working age to reduce their dependency on welfare...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: Tús is a community work placement initiative aimed at providing up to 5,000 short-term, quality work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. The initiative is being delivered through the network of local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta in Gaeltacht areas – referred to as Implementing Bodies. This initiative, with its clear focus on providing work...

Written Answers — State Agencies: State Agencies (21 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: As the maximum annual remuneration paid to any member of a State Board for which the Minister for Social Protection has responsibility does not exceed €12,000, there would be no savings to the Minister for Social Protection arising from the proposed reduction in remuneration.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 49 together. The average time taken to award a claim for carer's allowance in the first half of 2011 was 13 weeks. A total of 8,171 applications were registered in the first 6 months of 2011 and 6,702 were processed in the same period. There are currently 5,294 applications awaiting a decision. There are 51,134 carer's allowance claims in payment....

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 154 together. One of the core commitments in the Programme for Government is the restoration of fiscal stability. As we all know, overall Government spending in 2011 will be roughly €18 billion more than this year's overall Government income and that level of Exchequer borrowing is clearly not sustainable. In round terms, the total income that...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (20 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: The Department engages consultants (individuals or organisations) to provide intellectual or knowledge based services (e.g. expert analysis and advice) including the delivery of reports, studies, assessments, recommendations and proposals that contribute to decision making or policy making. As part of a drawdown contract on business processing, consultants have been commissioned to build on...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 41 together. The Government is committed to pursuing the deficit reduction strategy in a way that is fair, balanced, and which recognises the need for social solidarity. Sustainable public finances are a prerequisite for future economic stability and growth, and for maintaining and developing our social protection system. In that regard, the Government...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (20 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 152 together. The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) assists people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems. There are 52 independent MABS companies operating the local MABS services from 65 locations throughout the country, with national support provided by the MABS NDL. In addition, the MABS National...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (20 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 192 together. The staffing needs of my Department are kept under constant review to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources. In the context of the Employment Control Framework targets, as determined by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, my Department will continue to source available staff by way of transfer and...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (20 Jul 2011)

Joan Burton: Creating jobs and tackling poverty are two of the key challenges that we face. It is essential that our tax and social protection systems play their part in addressing these issues and ensure that work is worthwhile. To this end, I recently set up an Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare. The first meeting of the Group took place on 30 June and I understand that the Group is considering...